We had the most wonderful opportunity to interview Samantha and Yeison from Mytanfeet! A wonderful couple based in Costa Rica, check them out!
Postcard Snapshot
- When did you first start travelling? 2010
- How many countries visited? Both of us together, 9
- Favourite Country? So hard to choose one... Costa Rica so far!
- Best travel advice ever received? Always double check when your flight is! Also you can never have too many pairs of underwear...
- Where are you now? Costa Rica
Indepth with Mytanfeet:
Please tell us a bit about who you are, what made you travel?
I'm Samantha and from the States. I first started traveling because I wanted to volunteer abroad and I had only ever been to 3 countries before and wanted to see more of the world. After I went to Central America to volunteer, I met Yeison who is from Costa Rica. We started a long distance relationship and that made us both travel if we wanted to see each other. Two years later, I moved to Costa Rica.
How did you bring about Mytanfeet.com? What is it all about and to what type of traveller is it dedicated to?
We started Mytanfeet to document my new life and journey in Costa Rica. We originally wanted it to be more of a journal and an easy way to let my family and friends back at home what I was up to but it developed into something more. We write all about Costa Rica - traveling, living, moving here, culture, food, etc. Any traveler can read our blog and take away valuable information. It doesn't matter if they are luxury, budget, backpacker, traveling with family or solo, we have information that caters to all. Since Yeison is Costa Rican, he gives his local point of view and I give the foreigner point of view.
From your favourite country mentioned above, what top experiences would you suggest cannot be missed? Either for the country as a whole or a town / city within it.
Oh gosh there is so much to see in Costa Rica. I'll just narrow it down to the town we live in right now which is called Playas del Coco. Top experiences not be missed if you are in this area are snorkeling/scuba diving and boating. There are so many hidden beaches in this area and tons of marine wildlife to be seen.
Two / Three hints or tips for travellers wanting to travel to Costa Rica? Can be anything from visas to luggage essentials etc, but if possible, specific to the country or town chosen.
Our top tips for people traveling to Costa Rica are
1. If you don't know any Spanish, learn how to say "pura vida" Pura Vida means pure life in Spanish but it is essentially the theme of the country. Every Costa Rican says pura vida and you can say it for hello, goodbye, thanks, what's up, how are you, essentially anything good and positive. So if you don't know how to speak Spanish or don't know what someone is saying to you, just reply back "pura vida!" and the Costa Ricans will love it!
2. Know the exchange rate. The exchange rate has been constantly changing the past few months and not all, but some stores and souvenir shops might take advantage of a foreigner not knowing what it is. If you give them dollars, you might find yourself a bit short when they give you your change in colones (local currency). Also remember that dollars are not accepted throughout the country, only in touristic areas.
You can learn more about the currency of Costa Rica here: http://mytanfeet.com/
I see one of your travel goals was to swim with sharks, I love sharing new experiences and this story has to be told.... What was it like?
Well to be honest it was quite frightening at first! I was out in the gulf with Yeison, my brother and our friends and it was my brother and I snorkeling in the water. Our boat captain had told us to watch out for bull sharks before we jumped in so my radar was on high alert as we were swimming around. As soon as I saw the giant dark shadow by the boat, I immediately starting freaking out! At first I thought it was a big manta ray but it was definitely not. Thank goodness it was a whale shark which are harmless and not a bull shark! You can read the whole experience here : http://mytanfeet.com/
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If you had just won the lottery, where would you travel to or what travel experience would you try?
I would take the first plane to New Zealand and stay there for as long as I could, exploring every nook and cranny of that country. It's the first country on my bucket list and I've been dying to go there for as long as I could remember.
For fellow bloggers out there:
What advice would you give to start up bloggers?
Don't let yourself get overwhelmed by reading a bunch of articles about what you should do as a newbie blogger. If you do that, you will get really stressed out and think that it's impossible to do! Even if you don't know anything about web design, SEO or anything related to blogging, pick one subject first and study it. Don't study all of them at once or you'll begin feeling like you're drowning, especially if you are a solo blogger. Everyone learns as they go and nobody is an expert in every field from the beginning so don't feel bad if you don't know something. Also join FB groups for travel bloggers. Many of them are very nice and will give their advice as to where to get a logo, mailing lists, press trips, etc.
Tips for running a successful blog?
Consistency and quality. You don't need to post 7 days a week but you do need to be consistent so that your readers and Google will know you're active. Also if you stop writing, you might get stuck in a rut and won't want to keep doing it.
Make sure you are consistently producing high quality content. You can crank out 10 low quality posts a week with worthless information for years and your blog won't get anywhere. It's not about how many posts you have, it's how good your posts are. Quality over quantity. If you're lucky to have the time, you can do both!
We would like to thank Samantha and Yeison for their time and if you would like to read more about their adventures, please see below:
We could not have survived our trip without having this to guide us through. It is a fantastic collection of trip itineraries, attractions to see, restaurants to visit and places to sleep! Well worth the money and not as heavy as I thought it would be carrying it. Enjoy your South East Adventure!
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